Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Dark, Brooding... It's Art but is it Pleasure?
After a 10 year absence (which feels like 20 years), Peter Gabriel returns with the proper follow-up to "Us". Being a long-time fan of Gabriel (I saw him in concert in a small venue in Belgium in support of his first post-Genesis album), I have to admit that this album at first threw me for a loop. Forget the instantly accessible "So". Upon reflection, "Up" is indeed a logical extension of "Us", minus the commercial songs on the latter.At 66 min. in just 10 tracks, the opener "Darkness" sets the stage: a long and complex structure starting very slowly, then bursting with sonic distortions. "Growing Up" is as upbeat as the album gets, with a drum beat that even wants to make you wanna dance, my personal favorite track on the album. After that, there are a lot of reflective, slower songs on here. "The Barry Williams Show", the current US single, is a reflection on Jerry Springer-type talk shows, and while good, there is no way this will find wide airplay. Which unfortunately says more about the state of US radio than Gabriel. In the end, I find this album quite good, but it requires repeated listenings to really appreciate it. At times I felt I was listening to "Art", instead of just music. Yes, the album gives pleasure, but no instant gratification. Which is not a bad thing.
Rating:  - Peter Gabriel Wakes "UP"!
The wait is over! 10 long years of waiting for a new "proper" Peter Gabriel album has finally come to an end with the long-awaited, long-overdue release of "UP" (though Peter's import-release from 2000, "OVO," kept me occupied just fine over the last couple of years). Several reviews have criticized Peter's latest disc as a "downer," with many songs dealing with darkness, death, grief, etc. So, is "UP" a downer? Only on the first listen, I think. But give this album *another* spin, and I promise you, you'll get used to it. The "downer" element won't sound so down anymore, and "UP" will totally reveal it's true powers to you. Gabriel sets the tone on "UP" right away with "Darkness," an industrial pastiche that harks back to his sinister track, "Intruder," from his third album. "Growing Up" is propulsive, atmospheric, and has a slamming beat and memorable chorus to match ("My ghosts like to travel"). It's my favorite track on the album. "Sky Blue" (featuring fine background vocals by the Blind Boys Of Alabama) is a gorgeous song, as are the dramatic "No Way Out" & "I Grieve." The most criticized track on the album, however, is the first single, "The Barry Williams Show," in which Gabriel takes a look at trash TV shows along the lines of Jerry Springer, etc. Some reviewers say this song sounds out-of-place with the rest of the album, but I don't think so---"UP" is a dark album, and don't trash TV programs show the *dark* side of people? It's upbeat and it's funny, with Gabriel's clever lyrics hitting all the right targets, and, as the album's middle tune, it's a nice respite from the more serious material that surrounds it. After this song, Gabriel continues to spin haunting, multi-layered tracks with "My Head Sounds Like That," the rocking "More Than This" (NOT to be confused with the Roxy Music hit), and the orchestral "Signal To Noise," with commanding guest vocals by the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Finally there's "The Drop," featuring just Gabriel & his piano, ending the album on a very eloquent note that stays with you. I don't mind "downer" music as long as it's powerful, and as long as it captivates me. Has Peter Gabriel ever delivered anything less than powerful, captivating music on his albums? "UP" is no exception. "UP" is a fabulous, haunting, memorable Gabriel album. Welcome back, Pete! Just don't make us wait 10 years for the next one. :-)
Rating: - Peter Gabriel's Sgt. Pepper
In an already impressive career, Peter Gabriel has created a masterwork. Up is made up of 10 mind-expanding tracks, all crafted with the hand of a master artist. Peter has gone from being one of the founders of the prog-rock movement with Genesis to being something of an auter of sound. This album is the equilivent of a Stanley Kubrick movie: a well-crafted vision that might be a little disturbing, and should be experienced many times for a full appreciation of the many layers. Musically it has much more in common with Gabriel's earlier solo albums than his (relatively) recent So or Us. Tribal beats, odd times, discord, and distorted vocal overdubs abound; although where the earlier albums had an experimental feel, Up is refined. Taken together, the tracks seem to use just about every musical instrument I can think of (when was the last time you heard a harmonium or a mellotron that wasn't sampled? and what's a "wonky nord"?), but none of the instruments are superflurous. Firmly rooting everything is the beat--the percussion and Tony Levin's bass--that seems to spring from your medulla. And let me not forget the vocals that range from dulcet devotion to abject grief, one moment endearing, the next disturbing. A track-by-track review (or at least, one written by me) would probably be pointless. The album hits you with the scope of the ocean (oh yeah, water is the predominant image). There is elegy and satire, love and hate, self-discovery and humility. You won't find any breakout tracks. Sure, "The Barry Williams Show" is the single, but the best tracks on this album won't find airplay on any commercial radio station. And that's fine, because "Up" transcends such small-minded formatting. If there's no place in radio for The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd (the good stuff, mind you), or the most of Genesis for that matter, there's no place for "Up". I know that sounds snobbish, but what can I tell you? This is headphone music. You might have to work a bit, but Up will pay off ten-fold. Credit also needs to go to the flawless and masterful mixing, production and engineering (Tchad Blake, Richard Chappell and Richard Evans), and the haunting session vocals of The Blind Boys of Alabama and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I remember a lot of outraged Genesis fans who felt betrayed when PG chose to continue working on this album rather than collaborate with Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford on what would become "Calling All Stations". Thankfully, Peter followed his muse. While it would be wonderful to hear the product of a new collaboration between Peter and his ex-bandmates (you can throw in any combination, including Steve Hackett and Phil Collins), it is hard to imagine such a collaboration topping "Up".
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